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Thursday, July 5, 2012

First step as always is to realize that there is too much to do... have a small panic attack, breath deep and dive in any way ;P

Because of how old and rundown our guest bathroom was we had to gut it completely. Step one was remove the base board then the cabinet and toilet.

Followed by the floor... well, not immediately but after the cabinet, toilet and GASP the Tub. I guess the great thing about ripping up old linoleum is that it is so gross and decrepit that it practically is trying to remove itself!

The larger task this time was the removal of the bathtub. Builders love these one piece units... great for no grout I guess but unfortunately because it is one piece they built into the frame... and thus is one big huge (yes, the redundancy is necessary) chuck of fiberglass. So big there is no way to remove it from the house in one piece. I looked up and searched for such a long time as to what to do. Most all of them talk about how tedious the task is and use such tools as the Sawzal. Not owning a Sawzal and determined not to buy one I looked for other options. Step one is to use a box cutter: deeply score the sheet rock about two to three inches from all the edges of the tub.

Next step is to use a hammer and a crow bar and wrench that sheet rock from the wall.

The tools for the next process... well what I used anyway, the getto fabulous:

Hammer

Screw driver

Crow bar

Remove all bathroom faucets, handles and what not.

This was surprisingly easy. The tub faucet just turns off.

The handles just unscrew and the show head is above this whole issue so it could be left alone.

I took it off anyway cause I was replacing it.

Oh, and did I mention gloves? Cause this next part...well, if you didn't have gloves you be missing some fingers and have some nasty fiberglass spinters...

So I guess you could not use them...

But I suggest (and the internet demands) you use them, for we like your fingers.

My she-hulk came out as I did this next part. You grab a corner and you wrench it towards the inside of the tub till is splinters off into hunks. Like this... well, I guess that wasn't the most effective way to show you but then again I was doing this lonesome so I didn't have the arms nor the skill to capture the motion... but basically lots of sweat and pulling.

For the middle sections and the whittling down towards the actual tub part: I went hillbilly on my tubs butt and just hammered away. Creating week parts so that my sweaty pulling could go back to work.

The cabinet, toilet, tub, and floor were all out and it was time to go to work... same process as before.

But yet again we tile.

Replaced the old and gross light.

Sadly this paint looks super... well, not the color it is. It is a tan/tuscany feel. but all the same that's not what this shot is about. This shot is about the amazing set of towel, toilet and all that wall holders that my parents grabbed at a steal (got to love people with weird connections to toilet paper holders??? I sure do??? : P)

So to make is super easy this set came apart (with the help of an allen wrench) into three parts. The actual holder, the actual wall mount and the pretty thing that covered and connected the two. So me, being ... well, me I tried to figure out the simplest and straightest way to hang them.

I pulled them apart to grab the wall mount, pulled out my handy-dandy-baby level and I picked out my spot/area and used the level to make the base straight and then used my pen to mark the two holes. Then, with no shock, I screwed screws...

like this:

then put up the actual mount...

Then covered it with the pretty cover...

Then put the last part on and used my ever so tiny Allen wrench (ie hex/pent-gon shaped rod)

Yes, this is the worlds longest post. But I didn't want to do more than one, so suck it up and enjoy the stupidly long diatribe about my bathroom accomplishments... or don't. Either way I won't know.

I picked out with the help of Lauri from Lowes this neat two head system... So beautiful

Super easy to install. Plummers tape around the wall neck, turn... plummer's tape around the other joints and turn...

Then in came the cabinet, faucet, mirror...

And that is the story of our second bathroom. Well that plus, if you are a girl and you go to Home Depot or Lowes for that matter your assumed knowledge is less then 0 and even if you tell them exactly what you need they will tell you are wrong... you will arrive home with the piece that you didn't need but they assured you did need... rinse repeat three times.

At times this knowledge assumption goes to my benefit: like I don't have to wait for someone to ask questions... it is as if they follow me around waiting for my nonsense to reach a head.